Recently purchased an Excalibur Legend sampler pack that contained 1 Conqueror, 1 Challenger and 1 Crusader. After letting it sit in my cooler for a week I decided to give one a try.

I was totally and completely disgusted by the Challenger.

I did a V cut, lit it and at first I thought this is promising. The flavor was OK and it produce a good volume of smoke. For about two minutes. Then it went out.

As I had gotten a good bit of smoke on the initial draw (I'm trying not to use th "p" word), I was surprised so I relit it. As long as I was drawing on it constantly it produced a good amount of smoke but if I stopped it stopped.

This time I tapped the 1/8 inch ash off and looked at it. I was surprised by a gap in the center between where the ash was and where the filler was.

I'm thinking this was just a bad cigar and plan on trying one of the other Excaliburs when I have time this weekend.

Has anyone else seen this problem?
[Reply]

Sounds like maybe the cigar was to wet. Let the other ciagrs sit longer, maybe drybox the next one a few days before lighting. :-)
[Reply]

I smoked one of these in a blind tasting and didn't have any of the problems you describe. Here was my review of the Crusader:

I smoked the first of TedRodgersCPAs sample of 5. I started with cigar #4. I'm on a business trip and don't have my camera with me, so I apologize for the lack of photos.

Prelight: This cigar looked to be about 6x48, with a somewhat veiny, colorado wrapper, medium brown with some orange-ish hues, leathery with a nice sheen. From the looks of it, I'm guessing it's a sungrown wrapper. It was will filled, very firm. Aromas of wood, sweetness, caramel. The cap was applied a little bit sloppily. When I sliced it, I got a great cold draw and definite sweetness and spice.

Burn: The burn was excellent, straight with only the occasional wobble that self-corrected. Light gray ash was firm. Voluminous smoke. Smoking time was about 1.5 hours.

Taste: I got a little pepper upon lighting, but it smoothed out quickly. Flavors of leather, earth, and some cedar layered over a background of sweetness and some baking spice (this has to be a sungrown wrapper). Nicely balanced, pleasant flavors. Medium bodied, with a clean finish.

The flavor stayed pretty steady throughout the smoke, though it became a bit stronger in the second half. About halfway through the cigar I began to detect some other flavor notes: some nuttiness, maybe vanilla, maybe almond. It wasn't super-complex, more steady but tasty, and it stayed that way all the way to the nub. It got a bit hot in the last inch or so, and I knew that time was up.

I enjoyed this cigar. It's a well-made, flavorful smoke, not stellar, but straightforward, tasty, honest smoke.
[Reply]

I guess that's possible but the sampler box sat in my truck for two days before I got home to put it in my coolerador. I keep my cooler at 65%.

Thanks for the response. I'll move the two remaining into my desktop for a few days before smoking one of them.
[Reply]

try the epicure maduro, awesome.
[Reply]

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for it.
[Reply]

Yesterday I tried the toro size of the Excalibur Legend. This was after I let it rest in my humidor since trying the first one. The extra time did nothing to improve this cigar as it had the same draw/burn problem as the first one. I tried smoking it for about 20 minutes but it kept going out.

This was not a good purchase for me.
[Reply]

I've always like the Ex's, and then a week ago I lit one and it was like trying to smoke air. No flavor, very little smoke, and it drew normally. There definitely was something wrong with the blend on that stick! I've got a few more and I'm reasonably sure they'll be OK. Flukes are not to be feared...
[Reply]

I smoked my first Legend last night. This is a completely different smoke than the rest of the Excalibur line. If I didn't know any better, I would not have guessed it was an HdM at all.

For one thing, it knocked me back. Hard. Started getting a little green around the gills at the band, and that left about a third of the stick to go. :-) Maybe I didn't have enough to eat first, but I thought the power on this overwhelmed the flavor.

It was very bold, almost harsh. Started out with an earthy explosion of pepper & bitter spice, with a very long, woody finish. Hints of cream & cherry tried to poke through at midstick but they didn't last long. It had been resting for about 2 months, maybe it needs some more time to settle down and blend properly.

On the other hand, I thought the appearance and construction were top notch. Great looking oily stick that churned out tons of smoke from a perfect draw. Straight burn, no problems at all.

I love the normal Excalibur & 1066 lines, but this wasn't for me.
[Reply]

Not to renew an old thread, but I just smoked an excalibur legend this morning and it kicked my ass. I still have a little less than half left, but I fell too quesy to go on. Might need to let these sit a while. I enjoy strong sticks, but this is overwhelming for a morning smoke.
[Reply]